losen
to draw lots
To make a decision or distribute something through a random process, such as drawing lots.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben gelost, wer das letzte Stück Kuchen bekommt.
We drew lots to decide who gets the last piece of cake.
losen
to draw lots
losen – loste – hat gelost
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry losen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | lose |
|---|---|
| du | lost |
| er/sie/es | lost |
| wir | losen |
| ihr | lost |
| sie | losen |
Simple past
| ich | loste |
|---|---|
| du | lostest |
| er/sie/es | loste |
| wir | losten |
| ihr | lostet |
| sie | losten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe gelost |
|---|---|
| du | hast gelost |
| er/sie/es | hat gelost |
| wir | haben gelost |
| ihr | habt gelost |
| sie | haben gelost |
Commands
| du | lose! los! |
|---|---|
| ihr | lost! |
| Sie | losen Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte gelost |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gelost |
| er/sie/es | hatte gelost |
| wir | hatten gelost |
| ihr | hattet gelost |
| sie | hatten gelost |
Future
| ich | werde losen |
|---|---|
| du | wirst losen |
| er/sie/es | wird losen |
| wir | werden losen |
| ihr | werdet losen |
| sie | werden losen |
Subjunctive I
| ich | lose |
|---|---|
| du | losest |
| er/sie/es | lose |
| wir | losen |
| ihr | loset |
| sie | losen |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | loste |
|---|---|
| du | lostest |
| er/sie/es | loste |
| wir | losten |
| ihr | lostet |
| sie | losten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | losen |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu losen |
| present participle | losend |
| past participle | gelost |
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'losen' (to draw lots) comes directly from the noun 'das Los' (lot/ticket). A 'Los' is a slip of paper or another object that you draw in a lottery or for a random decision.
EXAMPLE
Wir hatten nur noch ein Ticket, also mussten wir losen.
We only had one ticket left, so we had to draw lots.
Sentence structure and usage
You can use 'losen' (to draw lots) to decide something (um + accusative) or to determine who should do something (subordinate clause with 'wer' (who)).
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder losten um den besten Platz.
The children drew lots for the best seat.
Wir müssen noch losen, wer den Abwasch macht.
We still have to draw lots to decide who does the dishes.
Typical situations
'Losen' is typically used in informal situations among friends, children, or groups to make a fair, random decision.
EXAMPLE
Da beide Teams gleich gut waren, wurde der Sieger durch Losen ermittelt.
Since both teams were equally good, the winner was determined by drawing lots.
In real life
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